A row count is the number of entries in a tabular dataset, such as a CSV file. It measures records, not necessarily unique people: duplicates, test entries, incomplete records, or multiple rows for one person can make the count differ from the number of individuals represented.
In cyber security, row counts can help describe a dataset but cannot establish how many people were affected or whether the data is genuine. During breach investigations, analysts validate samples, identify duplicates, and check records against reliable sources before estimating impact. Attackers may cite a large row count to make a leak claim seem significant, so treat it as a preliminary figure until provenance and contents are verified.